Ya'an

The gateway to western Sichuan and the place where giant pandas were discovered, with the Bifengxia Panda Base, Mengding Mountain tea gardens and Laba River autumn foliage; the "Rain City" that every western Sichuan trip passes through.

Ya'an sits on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, about 140 km from Chengdu, and is the gateway from the Chengdu Plain to the western Sichuan plateau; the G318 Sichuan–Tibet Highway, the Ya'an–Kangding Expressway and the Ya'an–Xichang Expressway lead west and south from here. With more than 200 rainy days a year, it is known as the "Rain City," and its forests are lush. Ya'an is the "type locality" of the giant panda: in 1869 the French naturalist Armand David introduced the giant panda to Western science at Dengchigou in Baoxing. There are four main areas to visit. First, around Yucheng District: the Bifengxia Panda Base and canyon, Shangli and Wangyu ancient towns, Yazhou Covered Bridge, Ya'an Museum and Zhougong Mountain hot springs, 1–2 days. Second, the Mengding Mountain tea gardens in Mingshan District, half a day to a day. Third, to the northwest, the Laba River in Tianquan (autumn foliage) and Dengchigou in Baoxing. Fourth, to the south, Longcanggou in Yingjing (dove trees). If you have more time, you can extend to Qiaoqi Tibetan Village in Baoxing and Jiajin Mountain, which the Red Army crossed, and to the Jiuxiang stone archways and the March pear blossoms in Hanyuan (all more than 100 km from the city). Niubei Mountain is covered under the "Hailuogou & Kangding" destination. Seasons: visitable year-round; tea picking at Mengding Mountain and dove trees at Longcanggou in March–April; cool summer escapes at Bifengxia and Longcanggou; red leaves at Laba River in October–November; hot springs and snow-viewing in the mountains in winter. Getting there: Ya'an Station on the Chengdu–Ya'an high-speed line is about 1 hour from Chengdu; from the city it is about 30 minutes to Bifengxia, 40 minutes to Shangli, 30 minutes to Mengding Mountain and 1.5 hours to Laba River; for farther sights we recommend driving. We suggest 3–4 days, and Ya'an also works as the first stop on a trip to Tibet or the western Sichuan loop. Food: Ya'an fish in a clay pot, Mengding Mountain tea, Yingjing bangbang chicken and Hanyuan Sichuan pepper. Notes: it rains a lot in the Rain City, so carry an umbrella; at the panda base, do not feed the pandas or knock on the glass.

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